


Stars and Steam

by OccasionalArtist



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: (it’s mostly fluff really), Anniversary, Established Relationship, Fluff, Hot Springs, Humor, M/M, With some knowledge of Toph causing chaos in the background, azula is mentioned very briefly and it’s implied she’s doing better now as is her due
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-16 09:26:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29451510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OccasionalArtist/pseuds/OccasionalArtist
Summary: “You know, it was really easy to sneak out. I’ve had a harder time just trying to go on a walk without guards.”“No doubt. Suki has been onto us for weeks.”Zuko sat up straight with a slosh of water and twisted so he could look over his shoulder. “She knew?”“Yeah, but I don’t think anyone would begrudge us the time away.  You know literally everyone in the palace except for you agrees you work too hard.”“That’s not the problem.  I uh... I may have asked Toph if she could come check in on things.”...Or, Sokka and Zuko take a trip to a hot spring for their wedding anniversary, and Toph steps in to cause chaos while they’re gone.
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 80
Collections: HZH Palentine's Day 2021





	Stars and Steam

**Author's Note:**

  * For [c_q_j_a_l_m](https://archiveofourown.org/users/c_q_j_a_l_m/gifts).



> Written as part of the palentines exchange for the wonderful Sash! Fluff and humor were requested, and I hope this shall fit the bill!

Suki knew something like this would happen. The first anniversary of the esteemed Fire Lord and his husband had been an enormous affair, with food and fireworks, musicians and dancing at the festivals all over Caldera City. When their second anniversary had approached and they hadn’t said a word, specifically  _ Sokka _ hadn’t said a word, well she’d started making contingency plans. 

Suki had a feeling that this year they might want something quieter, something just to themselves. So she had inconspicuously spoken to any of Zuko’s ministers who she figured could be trusted both to keep things running smoothly for a few days, and keep secret that they were onto the royal couple. She’d talked to the guards and planned for a few to ‘doze off’ on watch in places where Zuko liked to sneak away, plotted with the cooks to leave out Sokka’s favorite foods on the morning of, and coerced the stablehands into leaving out the tack for Zuko’s favorite ostrich horse.

The one thing Suki had not accounted for, when she walked into Zuko’s empty office the morning before the anniversary feeling self-satisfied, was Toph, sitting with her feet up on Zuko’s desk and an equally self-satisfied look on her face.

Suki fought the impulse to bury her head in her hands, so she wouldn’t smear her face paint, and said, “Good morning Toph, I didn’t know you were coming for a visit.”

“Hey Suks! Zuko asked me if I could come take care of things while he and Sokka are gone.”

“Did they now.”

“Sure did, left a note and everything.” Toph tapped her heel on the piece of paper below her feet and leaned back further in the chair, for all appearances getting ready to take a nap.

Suki groaned and stalked over to the desk. She extracted the note from under Toph’s feet and held it up to read.

“‘Need meat. Gone fishing. Back in a few days. Toph should be arriving sometime today to help out. Zuko.’ Toph what is this?” Suki knew all too well what it was. Some hopeful corner of her mind said maybe Toph had asked one of the palace scribes to write this note, but she knew Zuko’s handwriting too well to really believe it was a fake.

“That means for the next four days, I’m in charge,” she emphasized with a stab of her thumb against her chest and a wicked smile. “Get ready to have some fun.”

* * *

The inn and hot springs that Sokka and Zuko had settled on for their anniversary trip away was a small place, nestled among the mountains on the far side of the main island. Zuko had grumbled a bit about not having time to make a trip out to Onsensakura, but Sokka thought that this was just fine. For one, it had been easy enough to book out the whole place, ensuring just the kind of quiet they both had been hoping for.

They’d arrived just in time to tuck their bags into their room before the wonderful dinner the innkeeper had laid out for them, after most of the day spent riding. A few coins and a quiet word to the man had ensured they would be left to their own devices for the rest of the evening.

As the two of them stepped into the tiled room that looked out over the steaming hot springs pools at the back of the inn, Sokka thought he would never get tired of all of the wonderful, warm methods of bathing that the Fire Nation was so fond of. Even the water in the buckets left for them to wash was steaming. After a day of traveling it felt good to clean the day off of their skin, taking turns for Zuko to scrub down Sokka’s back and for Sokka to lather and comb through Zuko’s long hair before tying it up on top of his head. 

Once clean, Zuko led the way out into the night air, with Sokka following close behind. Candles were placed all around the largest pool, flames glittering off the water where the rising steam didn’t transform them into glowing halos of light. Over it all, behind the small bamboo grove and the fence that enclosed it, rose the two mountains that cradled the inn in the valley between them. Sokka sighed in appreciation for the beautiful view before heading to the edge of the pool. 

Zuko had already climbed into the spring and sank into the water down to his nose. His eyes crinkled with amusement as Sokka took much longer to follow him in, taking several minutes on each of the steps carved into the side to adjust to the heat. “You stop laughing at me. Normal people without any fire bending find this hot.”

Finally he sank down to his chest and swam over to the stone bench opposite. Zuko came to sit next to him, pressing their legs together and draping an arm along the stones behind Sokka’s back. It felt almost as if they were in a cocoon, made of steam and the sounds of lapping water and the wind in the trees along the sides of the mountain.

Sokka drooped a little further into the water, relaxing off the day’s ride. “You know, as much as I liked last year’s celebration, I think this was a good idea. And I’m usually the idea guy! It's just what the healer ordered.”

Zuko rolled his eyes and grumbled, “You would think that after five years of peacetime festivals everyone would have calmed down a bit.”

Sokka laughed. “It’s probably a good thing they want to celebrate our anniversary with us.” He tucked up a bit closer to Zuko and turned to kiss the side of his head. “I know what you mean though. Eventually it felt like it wasn’t about us anymore.”

“Exactly,” Zuko said. “Plus, even after all these years, I still miss this.” He exhaled slow and controlled, and the candles around the pool winked out one by one, leaving the bright trail of stars above them unobscured.

Sokka sighed in contentment. “Me too.” They fell into a comfortable silence, only broken by the rustling of the bamboo behind them in the light breeze or the slosh of water as one of them shifted slightly. 

They stayed consumed in the stars and the sleepy warmth of the spring long enough for Sokka’s fingers to go all wrinkly like sea prunes. He was trailing them across the top of the water while Zuko traced aimless patterns along his shoulder and upper arm when Zuko spoke up. “You know, it was really easy to sneak out. I’ve had a harder time just trying to go on a walk without guards.”

Sokka snorted and settled a little further down the edge of the pool. “No doubt. Suki has been onto us for weeks.”

Zuko sat up straight with a slosh of water and twisted so he could look over his shoulder. “She knew?”

“Oh yeah. She’s been really sneaky about it too, getting everything set for leaving and making sure the advisors who wouldn’t blab could keep things going for a few days. I’m sure she thought she’d kept it under wraps, but I know her too well,” he said, thoroughly smug at figuring out her plan in return.

Zuko stared at Sokka for a moment, his face morphing into a well-recognized expression of worry before he buried his face in his hands with a groan. “She knew, and she got the ministers in on it too.”

Sokka knew his husband had a penchant for the dramatic. Nevertheless, he sat up and put a comforting hand between Zuko’s shoulder blades. “Yeah, but I don’t think they’d begrudge us the time away really, at least not the less prissy of them. You know literally everyone in the palace except for you agrees you work too hard.”

“That’s not the problem. I uh... I may have asked Toph if she could come check in on things.”

For a moment the only sound was the faint burble of the water rippling against the rocks, and then Sokka repeated. “You asked Toph, con-woman extraordinaire and law unto herself, to come  _ run the Fire Nation _ .”

“Not  _ run  _ the Fire Nation. You know, just, look in on things,” Zuko said faintly into his palms.

That was the point where Sokka lost any semblance of control and broke down laughing.

“I’m going to be overthrown.”

“No you’re not,” Sokka managed to eke out between chuckles.

“I absolutely will. The worst part is I don’t even know if I’ll be overthrown  _ because _ of her, or  _ in favor _ of her.”

“Yeah, actually you know that might be a risk.”

Zuko groaned again and ducked under the water with a splash. He settled onto the bottom of the spring and glared back up at the surface of the water. Sokka figured that was his cue to pull himself together so he could be a good, supportive husband. He took a few deep breaths so he could stop laughing, and then reached down to tug on Zuko’s arm. A cloud of bubbles drifted to the surface as the firebender sighed and then came back up.

Sokka told him, “Hey, in all seriousness, Toph loves you a lot and she knows how much all of the work you’ve done with the Fire Nation means to you. Will that stop her from picking on some of your more obnoxious nobles, or deciding to ‘help out’ with some construction in the city, even if it hadn’t been planned beforehand? No. But she’s not going to do anything that might really jeopardize your reign.”

Zuko managed a wry smile, but his face was more relaxed than before. “Yeah, I know. I just feel like a fool.”

“We’ve all been there.”

“You maybe more than most.”

“Hey!” Sokka cried in indignation as Zuko laughed and lunged across the pool out of reach. “I’m beginning to regret this trip.”

“Are you now?” Zuko said casually as he started up the steps out of the spring. It was obvious he’d recovered from his fit of melodrama, as he took a quick moment to relight the candles around the edge, and then sent a knowing look over his shoulder back at Sokka. “I suppose if you are, I’ll have to find someone else to come help me with my necklace.”

Sokka took a moment to appreciate his husband as he continued slowly up the steps. Several strands of hair had escaped their bun and clumped together, heavy with drips of water that rolled down the curve of his back. “I could probably be convinced to have less regrets.”

Zuko bent over to collect his towel and necklace from the bench. The towel he wrapped around his waist, and let the necklace dangle from the hand he stretched out to Sokka as an offer. “I’m sure that could be arranged.”

“You drive a hard bargain.” Sokka stood up, the night air comfortably cool after the hot water, and made his way out of the hot spring. He tucked the edges of his towel around him securely before taking the necklace from Zuko and motioning for him to turn around. He stepped up close, until his chest was nearly pressed against Zuko’s back, warmer even than usual from the hot water, and matching the flush in his own cheeks.

Sokka pushed the free strands of Zuko’s hair out of his way and settled the necklace around Zuko’s throat, taking a moment to make sure it sat just so. He traced his fingers gently above the ribbon and smiled to himself in satisfaction as he felt Zuko’s draw in a sharp breath against him. “So what do you think we should do with this whole, empty inn?”

“Well idea guy, I’m sure you can think of something.”

* * *

The trip back from the hot spring a few days later was just as long, but now with the added joy of trying to guess just what Toph might have gotten up to in their absence. Zuko watched with careful eyes as they rode through the city for signs of destruction. Sokka was the one who eventually spoke up. “You know, it looks pretty much normal.”

“I don’t know if that's supposed to make me feel better or worse,” Zuko said as they approached the palace wall. The guards above the gate saluted as they rode through which was a good sign, but it was too far away to see their expressions. 

They made it across the courtyard and it seemed like they might even make it home free when they noticed Suki standing in front of the double doors with her arms crossed and a frown on her face. 

“Uh oh,” Sokka said.

Zuko sighed and dismounted from the ostrich horse. “Time to face the music.” ‘The music’ decided to announce itself as the sound of crashing rocks and the boom of thunder, before a great cheer rose from somewhere inside the palace. Sokka dismounted too and handed off the reins to a nervous-looking stable hand who arrived to take charge of her, before joining Zuko as he hurried up the steps.

“Uh, hi Suki. What is that?” Zuko asked.

“That,” Suki growled at him, “is the Fire Nation’s First Earth and Lightning Rumble. It’s being held in your throne room, and I’ll tell you, Toph and Azula are having the  _ time of their lives _ .”

“Meaning, it’s completely wrecked,” Sokka filled in, and clapped Zuko on the shoulder. “You know, you’ve been talking about renovating it ever since you took the throne. Guess you have an excuse now.”

“Yeah, I guess I have.”

“Mhm.” Suki did not look impressed at this logic. “In that case I will leave it to you to break up their fun. I think  _ I  _ will be taking a vacation of my own now if you don’t mind.” She didn’t even wait for an answer before heading off down the side of the palace and leaving the two of them alone in the courtyard.

“What if we just... pretended we didn’t show up until after they finished their match?” Zuko mused, and sighed as he caught Sokka’s eye. “No you’re right. This is my mess, I should clean it up, huh. You’re welcome to stay here if you like.”

“Nah, I’ve got your back.” Sokka held out his hand and Zuko took it with a smile.


End file.
